Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-05
THE FLIGHT OF THE BIRDS.
Some Interesting Facts Concerning
the Feathered Tribe.
HABITS OF THE wARBLERS
Swallows and Wrcns-How Birds Are
Drawn to Dcstruction-Libc
Fatal Torch-A Scientific
Discovery,

the American museum Of natural MS
tory in Central park few days ago.
The birds were some Of those which lost
their lives while beating blindly in the
glaring lighto of Liberty's electric torch
on Bcdlow's island. Most of the birds
were SMALL among them were half
dozen species of the swallow, innocent
little wrens, the raven blackbird, with
spots of crimson under its wings, and,
largest Of all, specimen of the Caro-
lima rail, which southern sportsmen love
to hunt. None of the birds appear to
be bruised, and Prof. j. A. Allen, the
ornithologist of the museum, as he ex-
amined them, remarked that the birds
which were killed around the light
houses generally died from fright and
exhaustion quite as much as from any
cOncussion.
ut is quite easy to kill most BIRDS"
he added; grasp them around the body
under the wings, making the fingers
meet, and in few moments they will
cease to breathe. | have even killed a
hawk in this manner, though | would
not advise any one not an expert to try
the experiment with such Bird
"How is it that these birds are killed
at night? Do not birds rest at night?"
THAT is perhaps the most interest
ing feature in connection with this de-
struction of birds at Bedloe's island. 1t
is n question that is interesting
Ornithologists a great deal just now.
For long time they have believed that
birds travel by night during the migrat-
ing periods, but there was no actual
proof of this fact and no apparent way
of ascertaining it until recently. Now
it is pretty well established that many
birds fly by night during migra-
tion, resting and feeding during
the day. The knowledge was confirmed
only few years ago, and by accident
Prof. Young, the astronomer, was max
ing observations one night from the
Princeton observatory with friend who
is an ornithologist. The latter OBJ
served when the telescope was directed
toward the moon, which was nearly full,
that dark objects frequently darted past
were birds, and by closer observation
his friend was not only able to confirm
this, but by the power of the instrument
to name the family to which the birds
belonged, though they were flying az a
distance of several miles. For the time
the astronomical observations were
abandoned, and the instrument was de-
voted to another branch of natural
science
1t added another interest to these lit
tie creatures to think of them flying
steadily along their course at night,
guided by instinct, and making their
flight, as the naturalist explained, fire.
quently several miles above the earth's
surface. They follow the lines of the
river valleys, especially those running
north and south. In the vicinity of
New York the birds coming down from
the wide area of the Hudson river valley
mingle with other flocks from the Con-
necticut river valley. In past ages, ge
Ologists say, the Hudson river ran for
100 miles below York bay, through
low country backed by the Highlands;
the East river was another channel
through which another large stream
emptied into the Hudson after coming
far through the New England states.
The line of this indentation is still dis
tinctly marked The valley continues
to be one of the great highways of the
feathered millions, over which, for
hundreds of centuries, they have been
passing semi-annually. The statue of
Liberty stands almost in the line where
these two streams of migration unite,
and her flaming torch will always be a
fatal beacon to thousands. IE the spring
the slaughter may be less, as the tiocks
of birds are less likely to converge until
they have passed this point.
How far this custom of travelling by
night extends among the many species
of birds remains to be shown by further
observation. The general fact, Mr..
Allen remarked, is now accepted, and it
may apply to all species, from the hawk
to the humming bird. A series of OBJ
servations has been made for Mr.. Allen
by Frank a. Chapman during the pre-
sent month. 1t was conducted from n
private observatory in Tenat1y, N. j.,
with 6t-inch telescope. The instru-
ment was directed over the Hudson
river valley, following the moon as she
rose. BY this means the birds were
seen as they actually began their flight.
Those first recorded by the telescope
were flying upward at an angle, and it
was only after in the night, us the moon
reached n higher altitude, that the birds
with the earth. In the small
area covered by the telescope
comparatively few birds could be
seen, but in one nights observation
from in the evening until daylight the
next morning 2G2 birds were recorded
and classified. These were largely
varieties of swallows and wrens, but
there were also number OF Carolina
rails, and one duck was noted.
The flight of the birds, Mr.. Chapman
says, is invariably two or three miles
above the earth, and at times it is even
at II higher altitude. Their course is
above any local storms which may be
in progress, and they retain the benefit
of the starlight or the moonlight on the
broad landscape spread below, keeping
in view ut the same time the hills Slong
the valleys and the general course of
the river in its winding route beneath
them. When the weather is stormy Mt
night in the locality from which the
bird is to fly, it does not take its flight,
as the bearings canhot then be OBJ
tained. Just before daylight the
birds begin to descend from their
high altitude, to alight whore
they find satisfactory neigh
borhood. Several hours arc passed in
feeding, and the birds then seek rest in
the more retired underbrush: Toward
evening they feed again, and about
sunset, If the weather is favorable and
the sky clear, they begin to wing their
fight upward. They do not always con-
tinue their journey from night TO night,
hut are. probably influenced by their
strength, tho condition of the tom
parnturo and tho fuvOrnb noturp of